


Extraordinary Kate

by orphan_account



Series: Kate [2]
Category: Castle
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-04-18
Updated: 2011-04-18
Packaged: 2017-10-18 08:12:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 794
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/186800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><i>She never thought that words reproduced thousands of times in print could mean more than something handwritten and unique.  </i></p><p>A sequel to <i>Ordinary Kate</i>.  Takes place sometime after <i>Heat Wave</i> has been published.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Extraordinary Kate

_Extraordinary._

 

She stops and stares at the dedication each time she re-reads _Heat Wave_ (which is more often than she'd admit to anyone).  From the moment she first saw those words, as she stood feeling like a fish out of water at his stupid launch party, it has taken her breath away. 

 

 _To the extraordinary KB._

 

She thanked him for the words and he assured her, honestly, that he meant it.  He doesn't know the whole of it though.  He can't.  She knows for a fact that he doesn't remember the first time they met, in a crowded bookstore on a wet afternoon when she stood on aching feet for almost two hours just to get his signature.  There is absolutely no reason that he should remember her from the legion of fans that he's met over the years.  Nor would she want him to.  

 

 _To the extraordinary KB and all my friends at the 12th._

 

She never thought that words reproduced thousands of times in print could mean more than something handwritten and unique.  But they do. 

 

She thinks of her beloved copy of _Storm Rising_ , the one that she stood in line for.  She thinks of the signed advanced copy of _Storm Falls_ that he gave her during their first case.  Both mean something to her.  

 

Neither holds a candle to this.  

 

It'll always be there, even if they never work another case together (she ignores the slight leap of her heart at the thought).  If she somehow loses her copy of _Heat Wave_ she'll be able to pick up another in a bookstore, a library, anywhere in the world that she happens to be, and the words will be the same.  

 

He can't take them back.  The words are reliable.  More reliable than the man who wrote them.  

 

The doorbell buzzes, jolting her from her introspection, and she sighs as she uncurls from her position on the sofa.  A glance through the peephole causes a reflexive eye-roll as she opens the door.  

 

"Castle?"  She manages to make his name a question, a statement and an exclamation all in one.  

 

"Are you busy?"  He peers over her shoulder, not giving her a chance to answer before continuing.  "No?  Great."  He brushes past her, moving into the living area without invitation.  

 

She shuts the door with more force than is strictly necessary.  "Come on in, Castle, make yourself at home."  Her sarcasm is a waste of breath.  He's already getting comfortable on the sofa, shuffling two folders on his lap.  It looks like he's been pilfering case files again.  

 

She perches on the opposite end of the sofa.  "What can I do for you?"  

 

"I was thinking about the case."  He opens the first folder, placing it on the coffee table.  "The first crime scene, in particular."  

 

Too late she sees the book, facedown on the table just beyond where he's laying out the crime scene photos.  Moving it now would be too obvious, but perhaps he won't notice.  

 

It's a futile hope.  The man notices everything.  It's one of the things that makes him invaluable at crime scenes.  "Re-reading _Heat Wave_ already, Detective?"  His eyes light up as he plucks the book from the table, his new insights into the case forgotten.  

 

She's relieved that she hadn't left it open on page 105 again.  "I was bored." She feigns nonchalance with a shrug.  "It's been a while since I read the advanced copy."  

 

It's a lie.  He doesn't need to know that she's already on her fourth re-read.  He doesn't need to know that she re-reads all his books regularly and can recite certain passages from memory if pushed.  His ego needs no inflating.  

 

It seems that simply seeing the book in her apartment is enough to do that though. 

 

He gives her his usual cocky grin as he produces a Sharpie from somewhere about his person.  "Shall I sign it for you?"

 

"No!"  Her abrupt, almost panicky refusal makes him stare. 

 

She hurries to explain, not because she wants to, but because otherwise he'll invent his own outrageous reasons.  

 

"You don't need to sign it.  The dedication…  It's enough."  She hopes her words will be enough.  She's not in the mood to be poked and prodded into revealing more.  

 

He stares at her for a moment, then blinks.  "Okay then."  He holds her eyes for a while longer and she feels uncomfortable, as though she's as naked as Nikki on the cover of the book.  

 

Then he looks back down at the photos on the table, setting _Heat Wave_ aside, and just like that the moment is gone.  "So I was thinking."  He shuffles the photos, rearranging them like puzzle pieces.  "Maybe it's not as complicated as we first thought…"  

 

 **End**


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